Wed. 3.3 Otay Lake

Boat: 'Answered Prayer. On water 6am - 5:45pm - 12 hours
Solo 7 bass, all lipless  
Water: 57, Sunny, then clouds 9am, then sprinkles 10 am, then rain on and off balance of day, heavy at 4-5:30
Air- seemed freezing, probably 60!!!

Bought new battery, large group 27 'marine battery', helped with motor to raise and lower big motor, was have lack of 'juice' to get it done past couple of trips out.

Was one of three boats at 6 a.m., second to last to leave at 5:45 that night. 

The other fisherman, two boats with two in each, were constantly netting fish. Did not see anyone fishing tulles. I tried top most of the morning, finally switching it up so I could get into the action. Saw reaction baits and plastics being thrown. I stuck with reaction- lipless, chart/blue back. Did well until closing, rain or non. Biggest couple came during downpours, and I mean downpours. My rain gear is old, needs a spray coating of water repellant, but kept me dry until the end of the day, when it had finally soaked through (BPS 100 mph suit, 10 years old). I like fishing rain, and as long as you stay warm, and dry, it's actually fun. (but prefer spring rains, not so cold).

I did not see another boater after 3, and only two others all day. It felt like a private lake pretty much. Had one 3 pounder go airborne on my popper, first cast after trying the sammy, whopper and punker for first two hours for nada. Then they wouldn't touch it. Oh well.

Put the top away, and went to reaction, and got it right away. 

Between downpours, Harvey's art. 

Between downpours, Otay Arm.

The two ducks were a real comedy act. The kept swimming around the boat the whole time I was down at Otay arm.

When I caught a fish they'd swim up closer. Lots of folks must feed them as they were not afraid in the least. Thus I named them, Abbot and Costello.

Downpours did not bother me, nor the fish. What the heck, they're already wet right? When I trailered the boat, pulled the drain plug and it ran for quite some time, forgot to hit the bilge pump, and with all the rain lucky I didn't sink.

Wed. 2.24 Otay Lake

Boat: 'Answered Prayer. On water 12:30 pm- 5:40pm - 5 hours
Bill Campbell backseater 1 bass me, chart/white 1 oz double will blade, Bill nada.
Water: 57, Sunny,

1 bass me. from 11 till 5:40 (That was the plan, got it launched at 12:30 instead) . But first ran back to get gas, then could not get motor down, had to switch batteries. I did not get the boat launched till 12:30, ran for gas then motor lifting motor did not lift off of transom saver. Finally with jumping to trolling motor batteries it did. 

Got 1 bass at honey hole on blade. Bill zippo. Bill left at 3. Mostly tossed top, some HD10 cranks deep, at underwater island near doubledigit's spot (he was on it) at entrance to Harvey's. Again after Bill left, at 'Bushlowe cove'. 

Lake staff jumped the battery so I could raise motor, the smaller battery was not strong enough, plus it wasn't fully charged.

Fri.-Tues., 2.12-16 Baccarat Lake, MexicoGoing w/ Chuck Lei

$1695.00 4 night/3 days, includes ground transportation from Los Mochis. Volaris $280 incl. checked bag and CBX border crossing.

Depart 11 a.m., TJ, arrive Los Mochis 1 p.m. (2 hour difference). Waited 2.5 hours for Vinney from Jersey. 2.5 hour drive to the lake. 

Blessed with getting to fish Baccarac for three days. So nice to not have to wear a mask when you socialize, eat great food, have camaraderie with fellow fisherman, and catch nice sized fish in beautiful surroundings.

Day 1 fishing / Sat., 2.13

Juan, our guide, scuttles us off to our first area to try our luck. Chuck was snapping images too, while I put my iPhone on 'Pano' mode. 5:34 am

A bit tough today, not just for us but for everybody we talked to. We tried top for first hour, not a blow up. Went to the deep diving XXD10, dives to 25', on 2nd or 3rd cast got a fiver on it, cool!  I did end up with 18 and a few nice ones. Dead tired from getting up at 5:30 and fishing from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm. Deep diving crank baits can wear you out.

My first Baccarac basss, about one hour into fishing, using the XD8 Strike King deep
diving crankbait. A staple for larger fish at this, and most, Mexican lakes. 6:34 a.m..

Nice swimbait bass. One of the few on that lure. 7:35 a.m..

Sunset, and this foreground area had lots of 1 and 2 pound bass that loved our rattletraps.

PS weird thing. Air 75°, water 70° up to 72 mid afternoon, andI can’t get a single blowup on top water. Not that I didn’t try! Ended day a bay with a flat, the lipless worked great, I got like 6 or 7 the last hour. 

Vinney's first of two 10+, on our day 3 he got another, just down from us too.

Day 2 fishing / Sun., 2.14

Rain and strong winds predicted, and sure enough, happened. 

Day 2 we killed 'em (well, I did, got 12 on top here, Chuck not so many).

EVERYONE said top water was NOT happening, other fishermen, the guides, etc.. Tell that to this and the other 11 bass, and the two lunkers that got off, that morning at the dam. FUN TIMESS 

Started out nice enough. We were going to go to the spot we left the biting the night before, but we hit the dam first thing as we left the lodge, just a 1/4 mile away. The guide noticed a lot of birds and bait on the surface. I tossed the S.Spook and got on them to the tune of a fish every 10 casts, included two monsters that threw it in short order, one was at least a 10. as I did not 'baso', keep rod tip down, the young guide reminded me.

Double hook ups. Happened a couple of times, but without big numbers not too often. 

Well I got 18 for first half the day. Got the spinnerbait going and another deep diving crank bait also. Lost one on the blade, she stripped drag on buttoned down braid. Ended day with 25. 

Day 3 fishing. / Mon., 2.15

Chuck with a 7 pounder at 9am. Me with a 5+
Baccarac is one awesomely beautiful lake. 

Strike King XD 10, Wow, Chuck got like five or six in a row on it, up to 8 pounds. I was catching them every other cast up to five pounds on another flat. This went on for a half hour. Unbelievable.

Vinney's second 10+ bass in three days, we hate him! ;/)

Vinney from New Jersey, who’s been here like 20 times in the last 10 years, got this 10.7 and then told us the spot he was on and how to fish it. Manuel Salazar, his guide, really told him how, and where, to fish. I ended day three with 26, beating yesterday’s total. Did so at the dam, got two last fish on a jerkbait, which had worked here and there over the past three days. Biggest only 6 1/4. Everybody else got nines and tens.

Manuel Salazar is a guide extroidaire! He got Vinney on more bass than he could count, and two over 10!

The group. Store manager Chad Meenan, me, Chuck, lodge manager Narlin Salazar and Vinney from Jersey.

Tuesday morning we slept in, as we were leaving back to the airport at 10, for a 1 pm departure back to Tijuana. We walked across the border, so no need for covid testing, like anyone flying into the country has to have done, TUL!
 

Fri. 1.15 El Capitan

Boat: 'Answered Prayer. On water 11:30 - 5 / 5.5 hours
Solo 1  
Water: 54, Sunny, thin clouds/ super warm out, 85 degrees!!!

1 on jerkbait, med. diver. Strong winds came, santa ana, as I drove in, so stayed 'close to home' (Island to dam buoy line). Vinney got there same time. He got 17, moslty on 'jigs', and 2 on spinnerbait, shallow. Threw some top, about 25% (Punker, WP, gunfish, popper, all for nada), rest crawdad jigs, shallow and med diver CB. 


Tues. 1.12 El Capitan

Boat: 'Answered Prayer. On water 12:30 - 5 / 4.5 hours
Me 0  w/ Paul 1, about 2#
Water: 58, up to 62 in spots / Sunny, thin clouds/ super warm out, 75 degrees!!!

me nada, got two hits on jb before Paul showed at 1:30.
 Lots of top, as last week two hits on WP at island at dusk. 
ran to boulder bay, after trying bathroom cove for awhile.

____________

Friday 1.8 El Capitan

Boat: 'Answered Prayer. On water 11:30 - 5 / 5.5 hours
Me 1, 4+#  w/ Paul 1, about 1/2#
Water: 58, up to 59 in spots / Bit chilly, not bad.

Met at ramp at 11:30 or so. Nada nada nada all afternoon. Finally 1 fish each, small one on d/s for Paul. nice 4+ for me on blade w/ kick tail fluke trailer, south of bathroom cove, by 'drop off wall'. TUL. Jerkbait bite died.  Oh, WP blowups over on outside of island, by the cove on left of it at dusk..